Iranians Just Don’t Know How Happy They Are

Our quirky story of the week comes from Israel, where pollsters decided to survey public opinion in…. you guessed it, Iran. According to a New York Times report, the poll showed that 40 percent of Iranians would agree to give up any military nuclear ambitions in exchange for the removal of all sanctions.

The unusual survey, in which Iranians unknowingly revealed their woes to Israelis, also showed nearly 40 percent of Iranians think their country should recognize Israel if the latter reaches a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

With regard to the United States, the respondents were even less equivocal, with over 74 percent of them saying Iran should establish full relations with the United States, even though many perceived the US as Iran’s biggest enemy — with Israel in second place.

The dissatisfaction revealed in the Israeli survey was unsurprising in light of the results of a recent Gallup poll, reported by ABC’s Katherine Faulders, which showed that Iranians are second only to Iraqis in their unhappiness – with 53 percent of the population expressing negative feelings.

But in the Iranian press, no trace could be found of said unhappiness. Instead, a recent PressTV analysis suggested the US, and not Iran, was the one suffering from the “detrimental” sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic. Washington, he warned, would grow increasingly estranged from major European powers as they vied for trade agreements with Iran.

Apparently, if you ask the Iranian press, the Iranians don’t know how lucky (or happy – an apt choice of words, considering the recent Pharrell Williams debacle) they are… But even the “enemy” pollsters can tell you just how aware they are of why they are neither.